“For Everything There is a Season…” Restoration

We don’t need a psychiatrist to tell us how important it is for survivors to view the body.  We see evidence of that all the time.  We take very seriously our responsibility of presenting an acceptable image of the deceased for families to view.

In this day and age, our embalmers face special challenges to restore the body so that it can be viewed.  Modern drugs are potent, and embalmers need to know how to negate the effects of those drugs.  To restore the remains of an accident victim, our embalmers will do everything humanly possible to achieve that goal.  It doesn’t matter how long it takes.  They know how important it is for family and friends to be able to view the remains in light of their sudden loss.

Our embalmers continue to seek the latest techniques in embalming and restoration.  We take great pride in our work.  We are skilled and dedicated and the result of our work is a testament to that.

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“For Everything There is a Season…” Embalming

Embalming is necessary to preserve the human remains, primarily for the purpose of viewing and as a health regulation.  The State of Kansas, because of health reasons and legal concerns regulates the disposition of bodies.

If the family chooses and arrangements can be made, the remains may be buried within the district without embalming if it is in a reasonable amount of time and the body is permanently enclosed in a casket.  Embalming is not required for a direct cremation.  If the deceased died with an infectious disease, the body cannot be removed from this district without being properly embalmed, nor can a body be transported to another state without being embalmed.

No doubt about it, our embalmers set the standard.  It takes skill, dedication and a reverence of the human body to be a good embalmer. You can be assured of the fact you will find these qualities in our embalmers at Dengel & Son Mortuary.

“For Everything There is a Season…” Why So Many Questions?

Making funeral arrangements at the time of death is a trying experience for anyone.  Much of the time making funeral arrangements is spent answering questions.  Facts for the death certificate are needed, important dates as well as personal history.  The information needs to be accurate.  At a time like this it is hard to recall the needed information.

If you do not want to make formal funeral arrangements but do want to make it easier for your family when the time comes, it would be helpful if you would write a brief history of yourself.  Describe your childhood, your family life, your work, memberships and achievements.  Include the date of your birth and date of your marriage.  Were you a veteran?  The list goes on.

If it would help, stop by one of our funeral homes and we will give you a form with all the pertinent questions.  Be sure to give each family member a copy of the information.

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Your Family

“For Everything There is a Season…” Cremation

Traditionally, earth burial is the most common mode of final disposition of the body.  Cremation is an alternate method that is becoming more common.

Choosing cremation does not mean the family must forgo the traditional funeral service.  Even though cremation is being chosen more often, it hasn’t changed the fact that humans still have the need for tangible evidence that death has occurred so that the healing process can begin.  The funeral service with the body present does this.  If you choose cremation and feel a funeral with the body present would benefit your family, we offer the option of choosing a rental casket or a cremation casket so that a funeral service with the body present can be held.

We own and operate our own “state of the art” crematory which means your loved one will never leave our care.  Because of that you can be assured the remains will be treated with dignity and respect.

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“For Everything There is a Season…” Consider Our Facilities

Our family proudly serving your family

Although we believe our professional services to be of primary importance, we also believe it is very important to provide a pleasant atmosphere that is comfortable.  Considering the circumstances that bring you here, we feel it is especially important for our facilities to look fresh, clean and uplifting.

When we added an addition in 1990, we doubled the seating capacity in the chapel.  We covered the drive with a spacious canopy, so family and pallbearers are protected from the weather.  A big part of our decision to remodel was to make our building handicapped accessible.  We want everyone who wants to attend a funeral to be able to do so.

A couple of years ago we redecorated with new furniture and accessories.  We removed the pews from the chapel and replaced them with super comfortable chairs.  Now we arrange chairs in a comfortable configuration at visitations to make our facility more conducive for visiting.

“For Everything There is a Season…” Planning a Funeral Service

The funeral service is a celebration of the life of a loved one.  Because each person is different, each funeral service is different.  We encourage families to add personal touches to the services that will bring to life the story of a person they loved.  

A display of items of a favorite pastime or hobby tells a lot about a person.  Pictures are always a good way of telling a life’s story.  Special music can touch one’s heart.  We will provide a nice place for memorabilia and a frame to display pictures.

You have a choice.  You may choose a traditional service that observes the customs of your locality or you may decide upon a totally non-conventional service or one that is somewhere in between.  What is important is to plan a service that is meaningful to the family and reflects the lifestyle and accomplishments of the deceased.  Our job is to assist you, offer advice and carry out your wishes.

Our family proudly serving your family

“For Everything There is a Season…” Selecting a Funeral Director

Reputation is one of the best criteria for selecting a funeral director and it is good foresight to make the choice before the need arises.  The quality of service to other families can be a good guideline for what you can expect.  Ask friends and relatives about their experiences with funeral directors.

Our staff never loses sight of the fact that caring, and understanding are paramount.  We want to anticipate the family’s every need.  This is a very personal business and we get personally involved.  We treat each family as we would want to be treated.

We are not a big corporation; we are family owned.  We share the values with the people in this part of the country and we are proud of our reputation and the services we provide.  But as my grandfather would say, “Don’t rest on your laurels.”  Rest assured, we won’t, we will always strive to improve and provide the very best in funeral service.

Our family proudly serving your family

“For Everything There is a Season…” Why Have a Funeral?

Imagine what family and friends experience when a loved one simply disappears.  They can’t get on with their lives until they know if that person is alive or dead.  We read in the paper quite often that the family of a missing person is sad but grateful when the remains are found so they can have a proper funeral and find closure.

We need a tangible experience to mark the end of one segment of our lives so we can go on to the next.  It helps to have confirmation that death has actually occurred, so that we may come to grips with the loss and begin life again.  The funeral helps us come face to face with the loss and accept it.  It is the beginning of the healing process.

The funeral itself is literally the celebration of a lifetime.  It is a ceremony that shows respect, love and gratitude for a person who made a unique difference in the lives of family and friends and many times, a whole community.

“For Everything There is a Season…” More Questions & Answers

QUESTION:  What are the advantages of planning for a funeral in advance of need?

ANSWER:  We can see a huge difference in families who are starting from scratch making funeral arrangements when a death occurs and those families where the funeral has been pre-planned.  One family is stressed with gathering information and hurried decisions.  The other family has time to grieve and to console each other.

QUESTION:  If I fund my funeral in advance, can I change my mind on the choices I have made?

ANSWER:  Yes, anytime you want.  You can change your selections as many times as you wish.  Keep in mind, when you make changes in the plan, the cost could go up or down, depending upon the changes you make.  Circumstances change and you can even change funeral homes if you wish.  You can change to our funeral home from another funeral home or from our funeral home to another, either way we will help you do it.

“For Everything There is a Season…” More Questions & Answers

QUESTION:  For years I have been saving my money in a savings account that is set aside for my funeral.  Do you think this is a good idea?

ANSWER:  It is very thoughtful of you to set aside money for your final expenses.  However, you might want to consider funding your funeral through an insurance policy.  A savings account could be depleted by health care costs that have gone sky high.  If you need to go to a nursing home, it doesn’t take long for your life savings to be gone.  If you set aside money in an insurance policy for your funeral expenses and fall on hard times, you can still qualify for government assistance because your funeral insurance is irrevocable, it can’t be spent for anything else except final expenses and that can even include a monument. 

If there is even a possibility nursing home care is in your future, now is the time to fund your funeral cost with an irrevocable funeral insurance policy.